


A Voice Found

by SocialDisease609



Category: Far Cry 5, Far Cry: New Dawn
Genre: Emotions, F/F, Kinda Fluffy, Reunions, Reunited love, Spying, fuck you joseph, happy fic overall if you think about it, i wish joey lived, let's give it up for middle-aged love!, sore vocals Rook, sorry kid but you're no Joey, that's why i shot your ass at the end of FCND
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:20:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25036894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SocialDisease609/pseuds/SocialDisease609
Summary: A feisty young woman tries to put the moves on The Judge during some downtime, only to run into some unexpected competition.(Obvs set during Far Cry: New Dawn)
Relationships: Female Deputy | Judge/Joey Hudson
Kudos: 41





	A Voice Found

“There she is!” Riley gasped, gripping her best friend Rosario’s upper arm. Rosario seethed quickly, trying to tug Riley’s hand away.

“Who?”

“What do you mean _who_?” Riley judged, “ _Her_.” She pointed a finger to the New Edener sitting awkwardly at the bar. No one sat by her, but everyone was definitely casting quick glances in her direction.

“The Judge!” Rosario gasped in disbelief. “She’s like…”

“A celebrity, basically,” Riley finished for her, “A war hero- on both sides.”

“I hear she can’t, or doesn’t, talk,” Rosario said, her eyes scanning the warrior’s body cautiously, feeling a shiver of uncertainty when she spent a second too long on the wooden mask.

The Judge drummed her gloved thumbs against the wooden countertop of the bar, keeping in time with the classic rock song playing on the radio.

“I bet,” Riley began to daydream, “That before the Collapse, she knew this song.”

“Well, given the fact that she’s from Pre-Collapse, I’d say yeah,” Rosario shrugged.

“I wonder what she looks like under that mask…”

“I heard she was a cop back in the day.”

“I bet, after a long shift, she’d come into a place like this and order a beer, choosing a stool at the bar like she’s done now. And I bet she knew all the words to every song that came on, just like this ZZ Top song…” Riley sighed dreamily.

“You have quite an _active_ imagination…” Rosario judged mildly.

“Well, that’s what makes her so fun!” Riley chuckled. “We don’t know much about her. That _mystery factor_ to her makes her so… _desirable_ …”

“Oh my God, really?” Rosario asked exasperatedly. “Is she the next victim of your chronic nymphomania?”

“How dare you,” Riley gasped humoredly. “There’s nothing wrong with having an active and healthy sex life!”

“Yeah, well, I guess I’m a little iffy with you going after someone like her,” Rosario shrugged, “I mean, she’s basically a Peggie. We learned all about them from our parents growing up. Not really someone we should think highly of…”

“Well, the sins of the father shouldn’t fall to the son, I’ve always said!” Riley waived off. “I’m going to try and talk to her.” Riley winked to Rosario, to which the other rolled her eyes. “Maybe I can get a word out of her.” She then reached down the buttons of her shirt and began to undo a few at the top. “Gonna bring the girls out for this. No one can resist them,” she laughed, revealing some cleavage of the buxom chest nature had blessed her with.

“You really think you’re gonna get her?” Rosario asked, smirking. “She’s like forty something. And we don’t know if she likes women.”

“Oh, trust me, Rosie,” Riley nodded over-confidently, “We can spot our own kind, masks and everything. That woman likes women.”

“Well good luck,” Rosario scoffed a laugh.

“Thanks,” Riley winked and then made her way over to the Judge.

“Hey there,” she said smoothly as she leaned against the bar. The Judge looked up from the beer she was nursing, the dark eyes behind the mask seemingly scanning Riley’s body quickly. The younger woman smiled at the attention. “How are you?”

The Judge sighed and grabbed her bottle of beer, rotating it for distraction.

Riley felt herself tense at the lack of interest. No one had ever looked away from her before.

“I noticed you were all alone,” Riley continued, shaking off the shock. “How about I give you company, huh?” She took the stool beside the Judge, and once situated, leaned forward to place her hand on the ex-deputy’s knee. She gave it a gentle squeeze.

The woman didn’t respond, just simply lifted the bottom half of her mask, revealing her sharp jaw and plain lips, taking a draught from her drink. Riley felt a rush of excitement at this simple exposure, taking it as a sign that the skilled fighter was perhaps opening up to her. After her long draw of drink, the Judge instinctively gasped for air and replaced the mask, covering her face once more.

“I know you’re not much of a talker,” Riley continued, “And that’s fine, you don’t have to say a word. I was wondering, though,” _here we go_ , Riley thought, “If you’d like to get out of here after your drink? Somewhere just you and me?”

The Judge now turned her face towards Riley, attention fully on her. Riley instantly became nervous. She wanted this woman’s attention, and was happy to finally have it, but she was used to facial cues and reading eyes. She could see the glint of eyes underneath the mask, but this was intimidating. Exciting, but intimidating. 

The Judge grunted firmly, then turned back to face the bar, moving her leg away from Riley’s reach at the same time. Riley’s cheeks burst into a blush, the heat almost unbearable for the young woman. No one rejected her. No one. Stubborn, Riley tried again.

“Didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” she said, leaning on the bar, her voice quieter this time. “I shouldn’t have assumed you’d be okay with such forwardness.”

To this, the Judge seemed to huff a laugh.

“I’m sorry, you’re just so interesting, I couldn’t help myself in trying.” Riley then bit her lip, an idea surfacing to mind. “It’s not every day someone like you comes into town.” She watched the Judge return to drumming her thumbs on the counter to the slow tempo of Jimi Hendrix. “You know, the girls around here don’t compare to you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so _strong_ before. Not even the Captain has what you’ve got. Why go for a girl when I can try my hand at a woman?”

The Judge tipped her head back, amused, like she had a deep silent laughter, shaking her head as she came back, hunching over her bottle.

Riley smiled at this animation. It’s not what she expected. The Judge was always brooding, it seemed, stoic and firm. She thought that when she got her alone, it would be a very fun, _rough_ experience, but perhaps the fighter wasn’t the dominating sentry she fantasized she would be. It didn’t matter though, the thought of rolling around in an abandoned house with this Peggie was still forbiddingly tempting. 

“I know there’s probably a lot you could show me,” Riley said suggestively, reaching out to rest her hand on the Judge's bicep. The woman didn’t move away. “Unless, of course… there’s someone else?”

A shameless part of Riley wished she hadn’t asked this, because now the Judge had moved, reaching to gently pluck Riley's hand off her arm.

She was about to open her mouth and try to keep reeling the Judge in, and maybe ask if she really was somehow taken, until a burst of excitement at the door grabbed hers, and everyone else’s, attention.

“Rook!” Shouted Nick Rye, frantic with glee. He made his way quickly to the Judge, putting his hands on her arms and tugging her off the stool like a rag doll. The Judge clumsily let herself be taken, having a few missteps before righting herself. “Come here! Oh man, are you gonna be happy!”

Riley rose an eyebrow, slowly getting off her stool. Nick continued to drag the Judge, taking her out of the bar, with Riley and everyone following. It wasn’t every day something joyous happened in Prosperity, and entertainment was still thin, so everyone wanted a piece of what was happening. Coming from the opposite direction of the courtyard was Kim, and two people Riley didn’t know. They were in Kim’s age group, though, one man and one woman. The man had a salt a pepper look going on in his hair and beard, while the woman seemed to be aging more gracefully, and had a killer tattoo on her left forearm. Riley could always point out pre-Collapse tattoo art. The tattoos nowadays were still artistic in their own way, adding a hardness to one’s aura, but pre-Collapse had a smoothness and elegance that was absent today.

When the Judge saw the two newcomers, she stumbled. Nick caught her with a laugh, saying “I knew you’d be happy!”

The two strangers took notice of the Judge too, the man smiling wide and the woman faltering between a smile and a frown.

“Got rejected, huh?” Rosario teased from behind Riley, having caught up to her and poking her in the ribs. “Who are they?”

“I don’t know,” Riley muttered, not taking her suspicious eyes off what was happening in front of her, and completely ignoring Rosie’s comment.

Soon the distance between the two parties was significantly smaller, and everyone waited and watched.

The woman with the tattoo bit her trembling lip, tears falling from her brown eyes, and fell into the Judge’s arms.

Riley’s senses pricked, a voice of competition in her mind muttering jealous things. Who was this woman?

The man that was with her also joined the embrace, arms spreading wide to hold both women against his heart. Nick and Kim began to clap, followed by Hurk, Sharky, and Pastor Jerome, which made everyone else watching follow.

“What the fuck is this?” Riley muttered as she clapped along. “Who are these people?”

“Well, it’s obvious that they knew the Judge pre-Collapse. This is a seventeen-year-later reunion,” explained Rosario easily. “I’m guessing these two were part of the Judge’s team before the Collapse. Didn’t your parents ever tell you? There were like… five of them total trying to take down Joseph, not just the Judge.”

“Well this only makes three…”

“Then the other two are probably dead or still out there, Riley,” Rosario muttered out of the corner of her mouth, her clapping subsiding with everyone else, “Show some respect.”

Riley kept her mouth shut, watching the scene continue to unfold.

The man and woman released the Judge who was now… Riley had to strain her ears to confirm it- she was _crying_.

“Come on, let’s take this somewhere private,” Nick grinned, ushering the three to follow him and Kim. Everyone began to go their separate ways, back to what they were doing before the show, but Riley’s eyes squinted in curiosity.

“I’m gonna follow them,” she said confidently.

“What? Are you serious?” Rosario blurted.

“I just wanna see,” Riley said with a bit of irritation.

“But this is private!” Rosario protested.

“They won’t see me. You coming?”

Rosario felt her stomach twist and she clenched her fists. She definitely didn’t want to, but she couldn’t leave her best friend to get caught alone. She stormed off after Riley, as the former did her best to subtly following the unknowing group.

The group entered the headquarters, the home once owned by the man called John Seed, and Riley scowled. That building was mostly for official business only, and Riley had no assignments recently. It wouldn’t be too suspicious for her to be in there, but at the same time, it would be questioned.

Rosario was thrilled at this obstacle, following a disappointed Riley to the other side of the house.

“Well, there goes that,” Rosario said triumphantly, putting her hands on her hips. “No more spying for you!”

But then, the balcony door above them opened, and upon reflex of being up to no good, both Riley and Rosario hid in the nearest shrubs they could find. From their hiding spot, they could see the Judge step out with the tattooed woman. 

“Oh my god,” Rosario whispered in awe. “You always get what you want, don’t you?”

Riley grinned mischievously, her eyes fixing on the balcony.

“Rook,” said the woman gently, taking a step closer to the Judge. So close, Riley began to wonder what their relation was. “Can I?”

The woman’s hands were hovering over the white wooden mask. After a few seconds of hesitation, the Judge nodded, and both Riley and Rosario leaned forward, as if that would give them a better view. The woman’s finger tips pressed against the mask, gently lifting it. Before she could fully remove it, the Judge gripped the woman’s wrists, stopping the motion, as if she had second thoughts. The Judge exhaled with a shake, then released her grip on the other woman, allowing her to continue. Then, the mask was fully off, along with the hood. 

Both women in the shrubs dropped their jaw. Maybe they expected to see a fabled warrior kissed with scars, or a monster pretending to be human, but the woman underneath had a simply normal face. Her hair was short for practicality, not a single strand of grey despite the stress it was rumored she endured, and her skin was smooth save for a few naturally aging wrinkles by her mouth and eyes. She didn’t look like a monster, and some of the enticing aura of her mystery ebbed away for the onlookers.

“Oh, Rook,” the woman smiled, her eyes bright with glee instead of tears. “It’s still you,” she laughed, her fingers getting reacquainted with the Judge's skin. Touch-memory no doubt flickering in their minds as even the Judge's eyes seemed to flutter at the remembrance. “I don’t know why it _wouldn’t_ be you, but I… I just had to see for myself.”

The Judge reached out to grab the women’s shoulders, gripping the fabric of her shirt with intensity. There was an abundance of emotion in her eyes, Riley could see it from her hiding spot. With a hard swallow, the Judge croaked: “ _Joey_ …”

Riley covered her mouth as she gasped.

“She can talk!” Rosario whispered excitedly.

The woman named Joey now cradled The Judge, who apparently went by Rook- her jaw in her hands.

“They told me you had taken a vow of silence or something,” Joey noted, her eyes never once leaving Rook's, “Or that Joseph fucked you up so bad he traumatized you…”

“ _Both_ ,” Rook whispered on a hoarse voice, her vocal chords not accustomed to speech in a very long time. She leaned her forehead against Joey's and closed her eyes. “ _Joey… I… this whole… time… I thought…_ ”

Joey nodded slightly, careful not to move from their touch. “I know, Rook, I know. I thought you were dead too. I wanted to go looking for you, but Whitehorse said it was best…” tears now returned to Joey's eyes, delicately holding on to her lashes. “He said it was best to just find shelter and hope that maybe you had too. I’ve always hated Joseph Seed ever since we went down in the helicopter that night, but knowing that he was responsible for what I thought was your death… I hated him even more.”

“ _Whitehorse_ …”

“He passed away a few years ago… natural causes.” Joey nodded. “Pratt and I buried him way up in the mountains, overlooking the whole county.”

The Judge nodded, her fingers still gripping on Joey’s shirt. She flexed them, then said “ _I hated Joseph, too._ ” She delivered this sentence without any cracks of interruption, but was still hoarse. “ _I said… let me die… next to them. I'd rather… collapse… by their corpses… than live with you._ ”

Her eyes filled with tears, and Riley couldn’t stop her own from doing the same.

Joey wiped away a tear that trailed down Rook's face with a gentle thumb. The two women spent a minute or so just sniffling, sharing their emotions without words, before Rook asked:

“ _I’ve been… around for… years. Where were…_ ”

Joey stopped her by just nodding, her eyes closed. “We didn’t know it was you,” Joey began. “We thought it was perhaps some new psycho doing Joseph’s work, like how the role of Faith was so easily refilled back in the day. And besides, judge us all you want, Rook- but we were done. We were just _done_. We only wanted to live our lives, stay outcasts. If we crossed the Highwaymen, we took care of them, but we… retired, for lack of a better word.”

Rook nodded in understanding. “ _We were done too_ … _Joseph just wanted… us to… live what he… promised. But even he… felt resigned…_ _It was the Captain… she… she…_ ”

Surprisingly, the Judge smirked, and her smile was not something both Riley and Rosario thought they’d see.

“I know,” Joey grinned back, “From what I’ve heard about her, she reminds me of you, too.”

“ _Hope she doesn’t… end up like me…_ ” Rook laughed, and it was broken and strained, but it without a doubt came from a place of healing. Probably her first real moment of letting herself feel something positive in a while.

“If she does, she'll still be a fighter, just like you are,” Joey pushed her finger down on Rook's nose, earning a look of surprised incredulity from the Judge. Joey chuckled. “I’ve missed you, Rook, and I’m so happy to have found you again. It almost feels like… my life paused the day of the bombs dropped, and now… it has resumed.”

“ _I missed you too, Joey,_ ” Rook delivered clearly, putting commitment to the declaration, not wanting her atrophied vocal chords to ruin the intimacy.

Joey then smirked, as if she were about to joke and play, and said, “I bet you’ve got all the Peggie girl’s throwing themselves at you.”

Rook scoffed with a smirk of her own, taking both Joey's hands in hers. “ _You've always been my only girl…_ ”

Riley felt the awe strike Rosario beside her, could feel her jaw dropping further. Riley knew what this meant, and her jealousy flared.

“Oh my god, Riley,” Rosario whispered, gently smacking her friend’s arm. “That means she turned you down _for her_! Someone she thought was dead!” Rosario then giggled deeply, “ _That’s so romantic!_ ”

Riley grimaced. It was. She couldn’t deny that. In fact, her inflated pride could take that kind of rejection. Yeah… she could deal with that.

“Stop lying,” Joey grinned, but Riley could see the blush on her cheeks.

“ _I’m not_ ,” Rook smiled back, a spirit of confidence and flirtation surfacing.

“Come on, let’s go,” Rosario tugged. “Let’s leave them alone. They have a lot of catching up to do.”

Riley let Rosario pull her arm as they tried to leave the shrubs as quietly as possible, looking up for one last glance, to see the two reunited women lean forward, sharing their first kiss in seventeen years.

**Author's Note:**

> If you wanna know, 'cause like, maybe you're collecting new music these days lol, but the songs that I imagined playing, yet didn't get any more specific than the artist were:
> 
> "Legs" - ZZ Top  
> "Red House" - Jimi Hendrix
> 
> Perfect bar rock if you ask me!


End file.
